Guard for poultry cars



l. v. EDGERTON GUARD FOR POULTRY CARS Filed sept. 12, 1928 Dea 29, 1931.

m .Munnnl n -l 5N 1r .o L S m n O m O S Li U llllllllllllll l 1 @N /MN l l M l w M wifi.- md-- Hllllllll... .|||||||.(L|| u 1.. EN. N N @wi f m @w V gm ||||..I||J. i||-|||...1|||||||| Il. .n Il n IH M l n mlm TELL N m Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UTED STATES ISRAEL V. EDGERTON, OF CHECAGO, ILLINOS, ASSIG'NOR TO PALACE IOULTRY CAR COMPANY, OF CEIICAGO, ELLITGA CORPORATEON F LLINOIS GUARD FR POULTPJY GARS Application filed September 12, 1928. Serial No. 305,466.

This invention relates to the art of poultry transportation cars, having reference more particularly to that type of poultry car which is characterized by the provision of vertical tiers of coops on opposite sides of a center aisle, with relatively narrow feeding spaces provided between the adjacent sides of adjacent tiers of coops and removable feed troughs in these spaces with suitable means a for supporting the troughs. Poultry cars of the type referred to are illustrated in my prior Patents No. 1,512,215, October 21, 1924i and No. 1,574,802, March 2, 1926.

In the loading and unloading of such cars,

and sometimes when the cars are in transitfowls escape from the coops into the aisle of the car and in an effort to escape recapture they get into the narrow feed trough spaces between the tiers of coops. Since these sp aces are too narrow to be entered by the attendant, and are of such depth that the attendant cannot reach more than half way through them. considerable difficulty and annoyance is experienced in retrieving the fowls from these narrow spaces; and the object of the present invention is to provide a simple and eective guard at the aisle side of the feeding spaces which will prevent entrance of the fowls thereinto, and at the same time will not interfere with the ready withdrawal of the feed troughs.

One simple embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation showing portions of the aisle ends of a pair of adjacent tiers of coops and the feeding space and troughs and troughs supports between them, with my improved guard ap- 4B' plied to the front of the feeding space;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates each of a pair of vertical posts that extend 5 from the floor to the roof of the car, these aisle posts being preferably formed of angle bars with one flange thereof parallel with the aisle and the other flange extending inwardly and crosswise of the car. To the right and left of the two posts 10 shown in Fig. 1 are f troughs and their supports.

fragmentarily shown vertical tiers of poultry compartments or coops, the floors thereof being indicated at 11 supported on transverse angle 12 extending between the two corner posts of a tier, 13 designating vertically spaced horizontal rods that are connected by vertical rods 13 spaced at proper distances to allow the passage of the heads and necks of the poultry therebetween, the rods 13 and 13 together forming a skeleton side wall of the coop, and 14 designates a gate on the front of each coop hinged at 15 to open outwardly and downwardly and retained by latch bars 16 and latch hoolrs 17. The adjacent posts 10 of adjacent tiers are separated by a relatively narrow s ace containing the removable feed In the instance shown 1S designates `he troughs, the same being supported on spaced slideways 19 attached to and extending between brackets 20 that are secured to the inner sides of the posts 10 and corresponding posts adjacent to the sides of the car. rl`he troughs 18 are equipped with bails 21 on their inner ends by which they may be inserted and withdrawn g and since the troughs are somewhat longer than the width of the ais e it is necessary, for the insertion and removal of the troughs to tip their inner ends upwardly, as indicated in Fig. 2. For a fuller view of the poultry car herein fragmentarily illustrated, showing the coops in position along the aisle, reference may be had to my former Patent No. 1,699,524, dated January 22, 1929.

The open space between one pair of sup porting brackets 2O and the next underlying trough is of such height or depth that a fullsized fowl can easily p-ass therethrough; and, as hereinabove stated, fowls which have escaped from the coops or which are being loaded into the coops not infrequently enter these narrow spaces especially those in the lower portion of the car, and ruiming to the rear of the spaces defy recapture except at considerable trouble. To prevent this I have provided a very simple and efficient guard so arranged as to be capable of being swung upwardly out of the way when it is necessary to insert or withdraw a trough. Describing this guard, mounted in and extending be- Sii) tween adjacent posts is a pivot rod 22 from which is suspended a strip 23 carrying at its lower end a cross-bar 24 of such length as to span the space between the posts 10 and slightly overlap the outer sides of the latter. In withdrawing or inserting a trough, this guard can be swung upwardly, as indicated by dotted lines in F ig. 2, to be out of the way. Normally, however, the guard 10 lies in its lowered position as shown by full lines in Figs. l and 2, and in such position effectively prevents the entrance of a fowl into the space between adjacent tiers of coops. rIhese guards are applied to all the coops in the lower region of the car and preferably for the full height of the tiers, since fowls frequently fly as high as the topmost coops of the tier in their efl'or to escape.

I claiml. In a poultry car having poultry coops, a narrow feeding compartment extending between said coops and open on its aisle end, a pair of spaced corner posts at the aisle end of said compartment, and a feed trough 25 support; a guard mounted on said posts wholly above and independent of said trough support and serving to prevent the entrance of fowls into the portion of said compartment opposite said coops.

2. In a poultry car having poultry coops, a

narrow feeding compartment extending between said coops and open on its aisle end, a trough support in said compartment, a feed trough slidable endwise on said support into and out of said compartment, and a` pair of spaced corner posts at the aisle end of said compartment; a guar-d suspended from said posts and laterally overlapping the outer sides of the latter, said guard being wholly above and independent of said trough and adapted to swing outwardly into the aisle to facilitate the insertion and withdrawal of said trough.

In a poultry car having poultry coops,

a narrow feeding compartment extending between said coops open on its aisle end, a

trough support in said compartment, a feed trough slidable endwise on said support into and out of said compartment, and a pair of space-d corner posts at the aisle end of said compartment; the combination of a pivot rod mounted on and between said posts, a strip suspended from said pivot rod, and a cross bar on the lower end of said strip, spanning 55 the space between said posts and above said trough and at its ends overlapping the outer sides of -said posts.

ISRAEL V. EDGERTON. 

